Engagement Portrait Light Painting

That title might be somewhat misleading because while I did create an engagement portrait light painting of Ben & Emilee, I also created their “normal”engagement photos for them too!

Minnehaha Falls Engagement Portraits

Ben & Emilee at Minnehaha Falls.

We actually began at Minnehaha Falls Regional Park on a beautiful early fall evening in Minnesota. The leaves were just starting to turn and the water was flowing over the falls pretty well. It made for some really pretty engagement pictures.

The biggest problem I have with this time of year is it gets dark so early. When we were leaving Minnehaha Falls to head over to the Falcon Heights Fire Station, it was almost sunset. By the time we actually got to the station it was getting pretty dark out.

Ben & Emilee by Minnehaha Creek in Minneapolis, MN.

Falcon Heights Fire Department Ladder 757

When we scheduled their engagement portrait session a few weeks ago, we set it up with us starting at the fire station and then going to Minnehaha Falls. With the days getting so much shorter, we changed it around so we had more daylight at the falls.

I knew that I could light a portrait much better in darker conditions at the fire station than I ever could in such a large area like Minnehaha Falls. If Ben and Emilee were game, I knew that I wanted to create an engagement portrait light painting with them with the Falcon Heights firetruck.

I didn’t really mention anything about doing a light painting until we arrived at the fire station. While I was explaining what a light painting was and how it was done, I was trying to quickly get set up before it got too dark outside. We captured some very sweet engagement photos of Ben and Emilee with Falcon Heights Ladder 757.

Ben, Emilee & Ladder 757 at the Falcon Heights Fire Station.

Then it was time to light paint. While I’ve never done an engagement portrait light painting before, Joannie & I have already done several wedding photography light paintings, so I wasn’t worried. My only concern was that Ben had to put the firetruck “to bed” and close up the station. So I knew I had to work fast and not keep Ben, Emilee and Emilee’s mom outside in the dark too long.